ACO NextGen partnered with the Cookstown Community Development Team (CCDT) to provide a small group of its members with a real-world experience in architectural preservation. The focus of their concern: a 2-storey, brick commercial building (built 1893, re-facaded 1950s) located in a heritage conservation district in the heart of Cookstown, Ontario, (now part of Innisfil).

After decades of housing local businesses, the brick duplex at 15 Queen St. was purchased in 2018 by a large developer. It has since sat vacant and disconnected from power. In an effort to spark revitalization of the abandoned property, the CCDT and ACO NextGen invited emerging professionals to propose a redesign and new use.

Eleven ACO NextGens, in three groups, researched the building’s history, local policy requirements, the community’s needs and the structural design of the building to develop new ideas ranging from a bike shop to an art gallery with fitness room and upstairs cafe. They presented these ideas in front of a virtual audience, including CCDT members, who plan to use the proposals to defend the building.